The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1887-12-14
BObIAcres Talks.
New York Tribune.


1t does not take Mr.. Joseph Jefferson
very long to dress and make up for Bob
Acres, and one night last week he sat IN
the little Office of the Star theater till his
son Charles told him it wanted only quar-
ter 10 o'clock. 81 am never tired Of look
ing at Mrs. Drew's performance of Mrs.
Malaprop," said Mr.. Jefferson, land often
go down to the prompt entrances and sit
through her scenes.i have heard that some
old actors have thought her characterize
ton too neat. This idea arises from the
fact that for many years Mrs. Malsprop
has been made vulgar. Actresses have
thought that because she misspplied
words she was necessarily ignorant and I'M
educated. The mistake was natu raj, per-
haps, but think that l can prove it a mis-
take. There are three reasons why
Mrs. MalaprOp should not be made
coarse or vulgar. First, from begin
ming TO end, she never makes a single
grammatical error secondly, her misappi
cation of words arises, not from ignorance,
but forgetfulness, and the words which she
substitutes for the correct ones are of
kind that no ignorant psrson would be &C
quainted with; thirdly, she moved in the
best society of Bath, at that time the most
fashionable and exclusive in England,
and wherein, while peculiarities might
have been laughed at, vulgar
have been tolerated. Now, the first
player of the part did not entertain any
msconceptioD on this point. l have read
OF Mrs. Glover's performance, and know
she played it with great dignity. Fanny
Kemble acted it, though only in private
thestricals, and she followed the earliest
traditions, No, no, il the ''old-timers'
should say my Acres is not quite Sheri-
dams, don't know that 1 could make 50
Nd dofo Int tax I'D for
Mrs. Drew's performance is as CORRECT TO
the authors intention as any could well
be.
81 was pretty well cut up" continued
Mr.. Jefferson, "when l cut The Rivals.
but believe 1 only moved with the ii mes.
Besides, haven't injured Sheridan's play.
1t still exists in the original shape for any,
one who wants to play it, but 1 don't
think many will, The man who would
mutilate a grand old painting is Goth
and criminal. My humiliation. if such
for it has only been dole on q
copy. The truth is that the
change became necessary because peo-
pies ideas and habits and modes OF life
have been so thoroughly altered during
this century. Long dialogues and disqui-
sitions that did little to advance the action
of piece were listened to with approval
Dy people VINO LOOK u6aTly dudY 10 20
from London to Brighton, and who were
doing we'll to get letter from America in
a month. The old dramatists would sus-
pend the action OF their plays to develop
character, which was to them allimportant.
Modern playwriters show character
as much as possible in action, and when
they can not show 1t they are content to
subordinate ii TO the action. And in
making action the great aim Of their
work thew recognize the Spirit of the age.
The audience who travel by express trains
and use telegraphs ana ephones are ac-
customed to such rapidity that even in
their amusements they want everything
done quickly. Take one of Sardou's plays,
let us say The Scrap of Paper; some
| thing is being done ell the time.
1t is a game OF hide aud seek. The
characters are we'll enough differenti-
ated to be amusing in their clash
iDgs, but no very great pains have bsen
spent on their development. The con-
struction' is everything. For this reason
a company of only averagely good people
could be drilled TO play pieces of TINS
kind Just as well as the best actor. And
| il isn't only the Influence OF the French
school that has affected our audiences.
| The same people who now come to this
tbester 90 to Harrigan's and see plays,
| excellent of their kind and admirably pre-
| scented, in which the dialogue is OF very
slight importance, bat where there Is
something being done. The movement
scarcely ever halts. Audiences will not
pass fran this to listening to lectures aud
essays under the guise Of dialogue, nc
matter how well they may be written.
"Sball ever play q new part? That II
a conundrum / can never answer. / dom
have much need or encouragement to try
new parts. When 1 essayed Acres many
| people grumbled because didn't keep on
with RIP Still have no reason, either
srtistically or financially, to be sorry tha
made the addition to my repertory.
shall not act after December Is till earl,
in April. / go to Louisiana for the win
ter"